


Perspectives From A Cat

by Negateaux



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28656285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Negateaux/pseuds/Negateaux
Summary: A short story version of a campaign sessions.
Kudos: 1





	Perspectives From A Cat

**Author's Note:**

> If you're reading this and you know what it is, then just know any changes made were to make it flow better. If you're reading this and you don't know what it is, then it's a session that I turned into a short story.

The distraction was working. It  _ had _ to be working. Clovers slowly drew his curved blade from its sheath and stared down at his opponent. Without a doubt, she was going to be a challenge. A wall of meat and muscle attached to a cruel smile. The smile of someone who wanted blood. He was quickly starting to regret this plan.

Clovers moves his blade slowly and cuts his coin purse free and lets it fall to the ground. He had to sell the bet after all and no better way than to risk your own money. He smooths his white fur atop his head as he hears the fight organizer yell to begin. 

The woman called Heel rushes him, she quicker than he anticipated, which already ruins one aspect of making this take as long as possible. The ground shudders under her feet as she swings the axe in her hands with overwhelming force. Clovers matches the strike with his own sword and almost immediately regrets it. It takes all his strength just to keep his blade in his hands as it meets the force of her blow.  _ Guess I’ll have to dodge her then. _ Clovers thinks to himself as he moves as far back as he can. Tulip’s lessons on swordplay run through his head: “W _ hy block a blow if you can dodge it? You’ll just tire yourself out _ .” Seems she was right. Like always. He focuses his eyes and turns his blade in his hands so it faces down as the woman prepares to strike again. 

One thing Clovers notes as she prepares her next strike is that she lacks any sort of technique in her stance. Not to mention her strikes. Her attacks are reckless, far from refined. Makes them easy to predict, not always so much to dodge. One strike goes high as if going for his head. He ducks but he’s pretty sure he loses a few hairs up top. Her strike seamlessly flows into the next as she spins and goes low. He hops to dodge and counters with an underhand strike. 

The blade catches her shoulder, causing her to retreat, if only slightly. The fight, like all fights in their own way becomes a dance of opposites. Heel comes in swinging, each strike of hers a force to be reckoned with. They are relentless, lacking any semblance that this is meant to be a non-lethal battle. Clovers misses some obvious strikes, in order to keep the battle going as long as he can. He hears the crowd booing him as he sidesteps another strike from her but it’s all just noise and noise was something easy to block out when the time came.

He can tell she’s getting frustrated, she’s likely not used to someone making more of an attempt to dodge than fight her head on. She brings down her axe, too quickly for Clovers to dodge, he’s forced to match it. The force slams down on his sword and his whole body trembles in its wake. The woman grins, clearly believing she’s won some sort of advantage by getting this close. Of course that was all part of the game.  _ An opponent may underestimate you, but you must never underestimate your opponent.  _ Tulips words in his ear again as they were in every fight. He had to make her think she had him.

She brings her axe away and brings it in for a side swing. He hops back but is met with resistance as his back hits the edge of the crowd.  _ Dammit! _ He yells to himself as the strike closes in. It’s no use, there isn’t enough distance with these men here. He’s not going to be able to move fast enough. He angles as much of his body as he can away from the strike but does everything in his power not to wail as he feels the tiniest edge of the axe cut into stomach, right through his armor.

The pain is...manageable, he’s dealt with far worse in his life. He pushes off the crowd, ducks low and rolls forward, creating as much distance as he can from his assailant. Luckily for him, she seemed to relish her strike, giving him some breathing room.

Clovers doesn’t look at the wound. He places one of his furry hands on the gash and brings up a blood-soaked hand to his face.  _ Manageable.  _ He places both hands on the hilt of his blade and sucks in a deep breath, his nose flaring more than usual. Any warrior worth their salt saved their second wind until things got interesting. 

For a split second, he almost forgets he’s waiting for a sound from his compatriot downstairs. He wonders if he’ll even hear it over the roar of the crowd, though he no longer has time to worry about that. 

Perhaps sensing his renewed vigor, or perhaps she too saved the best for last, the woman raises her axe, prepared to do battle further. The two dash towards each other, closing the distance in a heartbeat before the sound of blades rand across the ship deck. Clovers knows he can’t block her so he needs to keep her on the defensive. 

He gives it all to his offense, keeping close to his opponent so she can’t get the full power of her swing going. Up close, her strength and height surpasses his own. Not an easy feat when he was a seven-foot tabaxi. He couldn’t tell what she was, but he doubted she was fully human. Perhaps there was some orc in her blood. 

Minutes pass, Clovers doubts he can keep this up much longer.  _ Where the hell is Jillian? She has to have set the bombs by now.  _ The group had agreed that we wouldn’t wait if the time came, if she waited so he could get off the boat, he’d be very cross with her. More cross than he already was for sneaking onto the ship in the first place.

His momentary distraction was all his opponent needs. He strikes low, but it’s easy to read, she knows it’s coming before it even reaches her. Heel slams her axe-head into the ground, catching the blade beneath its weight. The move catches Clovers off guard, he hesitates for just a moment, but that’s all Heel needs. She lifts her foot and forces it down upon the locked blade. 

The blade shatters beneath her boot, causing Clovers to reel back from trying to pull it from her. Clovers tries to shove aside the shame he feels as he falls back. A weapon was supposed to just be a weapon to someone like him, merely a tool to defeat your enemies. It was  _ supposed  _ to be but he can’t help but feel a weight on his heart. That sword had been his trusted companion for many years, a gift from Tulips when he’d completed his training. Now, it was just shards of metal on the deck of some pirates. 

Heel wastes no time closing the distance between them. Apparently her destruction of his weapon was quite enough for her. She’s on him in a moment before she slams a fist into his stomach. The strength of the blow is overwhelming and that’s without the shearing pain across his stomach from the earlier cut. Clovers falls to his knees, his vision spinning. He tries to breathe but no air enters his lungs. He’s going to pass out, there’s no way out of it now. He falls to his side as he feels the encroaching blackness around his eyes. 

Without a way off the ship, his death in the explosion, assuming that was still coming, was inevitable. He smiles slightly, at least his death wouldn’t be painful. Just a quick burst of heat and then it would be over. This was not how a warrior was meant to die, this wasn’t how  _ he  _ was meant to die, a lost battle, a goal unfulfilled.  _ Shit.  _ As the last of his consciousness fades a single smell keeps him in the light.

Most people probably don’t know what being touched by magic feels like. What Clovers would tell them if asked was that each person had a different magic signature. A different feeling would always come with being touched by it. The magic he felt now, circling him like a breeze, was one he was familiar with. Though, not necessarily fond of. Yuzu’s magic always felt sharp like a needle, and it always stank of death. 

Clovers can feel his stomach stitch itself back together almost instantly and his energy returns like a bolt of lightning. He allows himself a tiny fanged smile. 

He pushes himself up as quickly as he can manage, the sound of the pirates cheering for Heel’s victory still fills his ears. He looks around quickly and sees his target. In the crowd, next to Heel, who was currently counting her winnings stood two of his companions. Both were human. One, a short girl with long black hair and tan skin. The other a tall grim faced human with shiny armor and blonde hair. There’s no way they know of the plan to blow up the ship. He has to get them off the boat. Now.

“Well fought, my lady!” Clovers says with an exaggerated bow to Heel. “You have bested me. Enjoy your winnings, perhaps I shall see you at the bar later on.” He moves over to the railing where he’d propped up his spear and sheaths it, always good to have a spare weapon. He moves between his companions who give him a rather perplexed look. He wraps his arms around their shoulders, inciting a glare from the girl. Yuzu hated being touched. Gale though? He just hated most things. “We need to leave, now.” Clovers says in a harsh but quiet voice. “No time to explain.” He moves towards the edge of the boat, forcing his companions along with him, a smile forced on his face. 

The trio head towards the break in the railing that allows entrance and exit from the ship. They are met with no resistance as they step off but Clovers won’t take his hands away until their safe.  _ Just a few more steps. _ He thinks to himself as he looks towards the flimsy wooden bridge separating the ship from land. After a few more steps, he allows himself to let out the breath he was sure he was holding. That’s when he heard it. No, not the whistle sound, that would have been too perfect. Instead it was more like a  _ shunk _ . He doubted anyone who didn’t have hearing as sensitive as his could have heard it. He looks left, seeing a moving object along the night sky. It was getting larger with each passing moment. It was coming right for them.

He can’t move fast enough, there’s no time left. The object crashes into the bridge only a few feet behind them. It only registers now, that it was the bolt from a ballista. Clovers turns back to the ship. All the voices have gone silent, the noise breaking up whatever reverie had been going on. The pirates look the three of them over, realization dawning on them what that was. The only delay in their understanding being whether or not the shot was aimed at them or his group. He only realizes then that Lo-Kag must have fired the weapon from the tower.  _ Idiot. _ He swore between him and his wife, they shared one brain-cell.

Then, he heard the whistle.

Clovers doesn’t think. They aren’t nearly far enough away so he acts on pure instinct. He shoves Gale with his right arm, using all the strength he can muster, his armor helping the fall. He then uses the free hand to wrap around Yuzu, an act which she likely hated even more and tackles her off the bridge. The three of them falling into the dark water below.

This close to the shore, the water is probably less than eight feet deep, but that’s enough to land them in without injury or risking the sharks in the deeper sections. He only hoped the water was deep enough to protect them from what comes next.

Even underwater, he can feel the shock of the explosion. It lights up the night sky so brightly, it can be seen even below the surface. The water bubbles around them from the heat. The force of the blast pushes against Clovers, causing him to shoot towards the shore. He hopes Yuzu and Gale felt the same force, especially Gale in that armor. 

He feels himself spin around more than once before he feels the ground beneath him. At least that part worked to his advantage. He hopes the others also had a similar result. He pushes up with his legs to his full body height, head breaking the surface. Air fills his lungs, ragged but air nonetheless. 

Above the surface, his ears are filled with the sound of screams. Any pirate not on the ship scurried around looking for their lost crewmates who didn’t die in the explosion. Death may have been a better deal though, the sharks in the deeper water probably wouldn’t make it quick for any who fell overboard or jumped from the flames.

Clovers hears his companions surface as he drags his wet and heavy self further up the shore. “A warning would have been nice.” Gale says as he rubs the water from his eyes.

“I told you there was no time. You guys both alright?” He looks over at Yuzu, squeezing water from her robes. 

“Aside from being tackled into the water you mean? Yeah, I’ll survive.” Clovers looks over at Gale who just gives him a curt nod.

“Hey, there they are!” An unfamiliar voice cuts through their recovery. The three of them look over to see a group of five pirates, each of which already has their weapons drawn. 

“Them’s the one that left right before the explosion! Let’s get em!” Clovers sighs loudly. He doesn’t have the energy for this but you don’t always get to chose the battlefield in this life. He unsheaths his spear as he hears the shrill of of Gale’s blade come loose. 

The five of them charge into the water, something that was going to give them, especially Gale a disadvantage in his large armor. Not to mention being outnumbered. Perhaps sensing their disadvantage, Yuzu lets out a breath loud enough for Clovers to hear. He looks over for just a second to see an almost indistinguishable black cloud shoot from her hands. It passes over Clovers and Gale, but spreads to hit three of their assailants.  _ A Bane spell? Good choice. _ She winks at him to which he nods. That will even the playing field more. 

The two of the three hit by the cloud double over in pain while the third, likely made of sterner stuff than the others, looks disoriented but still looking to fight. “You got those two?” Clovers says to Yuzu. 

“Got it.” She says as she unslings her hammer. A scream and a splash are heard as Gale sends on pirate away with an Eldritch Blast from his hands. He then engages the other in combat. Clearly he’s got those two. Looks like Clovers gets the easy gig. He charges the other, closing the distance in just a few steps. The last pirate swings wildly for Clovers head but it’s easy enough to dodge before he sends the back of his spear into the mans side. He curses before trying again. Clovers almost dances away from the strike before landing another blow into the mans head.

The water around his feet slows his movement just enough that when the next strike comes he has to block it. The mans face is scrunched up in anger as he looks up at Clovers. It was time to end this. 

Clovers knees the man in the stomach, causing him to reel backwards. Clovers then spins and delivers a kick to the mans hand, causing him to drop his weapon. The man barely has time to react before the tip of the spear pierces his heart. A quick twist and pull later and the light leaves his eyes. 

Clovers flourishes the spear, removing the blood from the tip before turning to his allies. They stand there, Yuzu smiling and Gale is as blank faced as usual. “Thought you were going to take all night.” Gale says. “Ready to get going?” Clovers lets out a loud breath.

“Sure.” The three of them exit the water and head off to find the remains of their group.

The rest of the bay is in enough turmoil that they go pretty much unbothered in the rest of their search. The small faction of pirates they were working with quickly clear up the remains of the enemy and it’s not long before three of them spot their other companions. Lo-Kag, walks over slowly, hands covered in blood, shirt gone as usual, and his face plastered with a grin. His long black hair is messy and unkempt. He’s easy to spot at eight-feet tall, not to mention the halfling woman sitting atop his shoulder like the way a parent might carry a child. Her brown hair is tied up with smears of blood across her face. They made quite the odd married couple.

“Damn, you guys look like you’ve been through the ringer.” Lo-Kag says in his booming voice. Jillian hops off his shoulder and gives the group a smile. Usually Clovers prides himself on his decorum but seeing that grin on both their faces sets something off in him. He walks quickly up to the mountain of a man and swings his fist, landing right across the goliath’s cheek. An action which doesn’t have nearly the effect Clovers is hoping for. The group gasps.

“You fool. If that bolt was off by even an inch, it could have killed us! We had a _plan._ ” He can’t help but glance at Jillian with the last word. She was the one who ruined the plan in the first place. Lo-Kag slowly turns his head back. Clovers doesn’t see the mans arm until it’s too late. Lo-Kag delivers a shove to Clovers that sends him stumbling back. He’d have to remember not to underestimate the mans strength. 

“Yeah,” Lo-Kag says as he cracks his knuckles. “And you’re still here. If you’re looking to throw down though, Cat, I’m more than happy to oblige.” Clovers isn’t surprised he wants to fight. The two of them have never gotten along and this might just be the thing that sets them off. Clovers clenches his fist, if that’s what it takes, he’ll do it. 

“Lo, don’t!” Jillian’s high pitched voice comes as she pulls on Lo-Kag’s pant leg with all her strength. Clovers wonders if he can even feel it. The two of them take a few steps towards each other but Gale steps between them.

“Enough. Next person who swings, loses the hand.” The two of them pause. One thing about Gale they had learned is that when he makes a threat, he means it. The two of them shared one last glare before they back off.

“Perhaps we should get back to the tavern.” Yuzu says trying to ease the tension. 

“Good idea.” Jillian says in agreement. “Dave is probably waiting for us anyway.” Ah, Dave. The man who planned this whole coup they were caught up in. Clovers finds the man to be respectable, true to his word as long as there was profit. As a fellow businessman, Clovers could respect that. 

“Yes, let’s get going.” Gale says more as a command than a suggestion. 

The way back is quiet, the group either too tired or too angry to say anything to each other. They see their part of the pirate faction getting rid of the corpses of the opposing side as they return to the tavern. The place stank before but now smells much worse with the mix of fresh blood and bile. Dave turns to see them as they enter with a grin and a raised mug.

“My friends! It is good to see you’ve returned.” He looks them over and his smile dissipates slightly. “Mostly unscathed I hope?”

“In all the ways that matter.” Gale says as he takes a seat at the bar. “What’s our next move?”

“Straight to business then. That’s why I like you guys. I trust the captain is dead as planned?” He looks to Clovers and Jillian, the two in charge of that particular job.

“We don’t have a body.” Clovers says. 

“Anyone on that ship went up in smoke. That I can promise.” Jillian says with enthusiasm. Dave shrugs his shoulders.

“Eh, even if he’s not, his crew is dead so he can’t do much anyway.” Dave turns back to Gale. “The next step can wait until morning. Nothing can be done until that other ship gets here. My men will worry about the cleanup, so until then please take it easy. Have a drink, get some sleep.” With nothing better to do, and the group as tired as it was, they decide to take it easy the rest of the night. Gale, Jillian and Lo-Kag stay at the bar, taking Dave’s advice. Clovers gets a drink as well but decides the night air suits him better at this moment. He finds his way back to the beach, removes his boots and walks into the shallowest part of the waves. Most tabaxi didn’t like the water but Clovers found it occasionally relaxing. He takes a swig of ale and stares off into the bay, where the ship, currently covered in flames, still has not yet managed to sink fully. 

“What are you doing out here, Vers?” He doesn’t turn towards Yuzu’s voice, even as she uses her nickname for him.

“Drinking. Same as everyone else. Shouldn’t you be dissecting a corpse or whatever your cult does?” She laughs.

“Funny. I just came to see how you were. You’ve had this sad kitty look in your eye all night.” 

“Sad kitty look? Why am I suddenly offended?” 

“Because you’re always offended by something.” She says as she steps into the shallows beside him. 

“Am I really?”

“Yes.” She says flatly. ‘It’s not so bad though. It’s always entertaining.” Silence passed between them for a moment before she speaks again. “What happened with you and Lo-Kag back there? Don’t tell me this is all about us not following your plan.” Clovers can help but snarl slightly.

“It was a perfect plan!” Yuzu rolls her eyes. “All we had to do was-”

“Stop being so ridiculous.” She says as she cuts him off. “You’ve gotta learn to relax. Captain’s dead, we’re not dead. Simple as that.” Clovers takes a deep breath.

“Perhaps you’re right.” He raises his had to to touch her shoulder but stops short when she glares at him again. “Ah, yes. Thanks anyway. I think this stuff is getting to me.” He finishes the last of the ale and throws the mug into the sand. Another silence comes between them as they both look at the ship, now almost completely sunk, the fire still raging across what’s left.

“It’s kinda nice, isn’t it?” Yuzu says. Clovers raises his eyebrow as he looks over to his friend, her gaze locked on the ship. He hopes she doesn’t mean the loss of life on the ship, but with her he could never really tell. 

“Yeah, it kind of is.”


End file.
